Odontometer



P. N. WILLIAMS.

ODONTOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I. 1919.

1,340,354. Patented May 18,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ATTORNEYS.

P. N. WILLIAMS- ODONTOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1, 1919.

1,340,354, Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 18, 19 20.

Application filed April 1, 1919. Serial No. 286,804.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY NORMAN WIL- LIA-MS, citizen of the United States, and resident of Pelham Manor, county of Westchester, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Odontometers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object, the provision of means which may be employed by the dentist in definitely determining to what extent the teeth of persons are out of proper position, and secondly, what treatment is required to place them in their correct positions.

For convenience I have designated my apparatus as an odontometer and as having in its makeup a portion to be known as the symetroscope, the function of which being primarily to determine the median line of the upper jaw of the live subject and to subsequently have recorded upon a card the outlines of the buccal sides of the occlusal surfaces of the teeth of the live subject, as shown by a plaster east, through the use of a portion of the odontometer to be known as the odontograph, whereby the defective relation of the teeth to the median line may be definitely determined and corrected. In practice, with my improved instrument, I first prick or perforate a record card by the use of the symetroscope, then prick or perforate a second record card by use of the odontograph to record the outlines, buccal edges or the boundaries, of the occlusal surfaces of the teeth as embodied in the plaster cast, and finally position the latter card upon the former with the pricks corresponding to the first permanent molars in juxtaposition and thereafter trace from the odontograph record card the full outlines of the teeth upon the symetroscope record card.

While I have described and illustrated the odontometer in its complete form, embodying both the symetroscope and odontograph, the claims of this application are restricted to the odontograph portion thereof, the structure of the symetroscope forming subject matter of my application Serial Number 371,795, filed April 7th, 1920.

My invention consists of improvements in the odontograph hereinafter described whereby the above stated objects and results are attained, said improvements comprising certain organization and combination of parts which are fully described hereinafter and more particularly de ned n the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved odontometer; Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe adjustable symetroscope bow attachment therefor and Fig. 2 is a front view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my improved odontometer shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 3, showing the lower portion of the instrument in plan.

2 is the base, having at one end a fixed upright post 3, and at the other end an adjustable clamp 29. The odontometer or instrument consists of two principal parts the up per part is detachable and for convenience may be called the symetroscope and the lower part the odontograph. The symetroscope consists of a bow 32 of metal, as shown in Fig. 2, so bent or shaped that when adjusted to the head, it passes from one ear forward across the front of the mouth and back to the car on the other side of the head, the end of said bow having bearings 33 and clamping screws 36. On the ends of this bow and adjustable in the bearings 33 thereof, I provide rods 34 having at their adjacent ends cones or knobs 35. These rods 34 are adjustable to fit the cones to the ears of the subject and are then secured in place upon the bow ends by the clamping screws 36. In this manner the bow is adjusted firmly to the head of the-subject. At the part of the bow which extends in front of the mouth are arranged three blocks 37 which may be adjusted along the bow and clamped in position by screws 38. These blocks 37 are provided with horizontal holes through which rods pass. The center block carries the rod 41 and the two outer or lateral blocks carry the rods 39. These rods 39 and 41 may be adjusted longitudinally in the blocks 37 and clamped in positions of adjustment by screws 40. The ends of these rods 39 and 41 are provided with perforating heads P (Fig. 3). It will be observed that not only are the rods 39 and 41 adjustable longitudinally relatively to the bow, but they may swing upward or downward at the ends because of the hinge connection of the blocks 37 with the bow 32. These rods and their blocks are also adjustable in the main groove of the upper first permanent molars and clamped in position and similarly the rod 41 is adjusted to the cen-'" ter of the jaw between the front incisors and clamped in position. This instrument is then removed from the subject.

After the record has been taken in the above manner by the bow and its parts, the symetroscope is transferred to the horizontal bar 3 at the top of the perpendicular post 3 (Fig. 1) Whose ends are provided with sockets 3 into which the cones of the symetroscope are adjusted. A table 27 extends horizontally from and is adjustable vertically upon the post 3 and held in position by a clamping screw 28 which may fit into a groove 8 in the post to prevent the table turning about the post as a center. This table has a transverse guide edge 27* against which a card may be placed, said card clamped to the table in any suitable manner. The symetroscope will be supported upon the bar 3 and the perforating ends of its arms 39 and 41 resting upon the card on the table 27. In this manner the record card will have its base parallel to the bar 3 and while in this position the three points P of the rods 39 and 41 are pricked into the card. A pencil or other line is now drawn from the center hole thus pricked into the card by means of a drawing square resting against the edge 27 and insuring a ruling edge at right angles to the horizontal bar 3*.

'This line, so drawn, will correspond to the center of the face projected back through the center of the roof of the mouth and constitute the median line of the jaw. The work with the symetroscope part of the in strument is now completed.

I will now describe the odontograph of the instrument; A plaster cast of the upper jaw of the subject is then made,'and placed in position in the clamp 29, so as to present the impressions of the occlusal surfaces of the teeth in an upward direction. This plaster cast is clamped between the abutment 30 and the screw 31 of the clamp 29 (Fig. At one side and at a higher elevation is a table 6 having a hub fitting the upright post 3 and clamped in vertical adjustment by the screw 7 which may fit the vertical groove 8 to prevent the table turning about the post. 9 is a carriage adjustable horizontally upon and beneath the table 6 and movable to and from the post 3. The carriage is provided with a'rack 10 (Fig. which is moved by a pinion 11 (Fig. 1)., rotated by a shaft 12 and hand 'wheel13. This carriage is provided with a transverse guide 14 and screw 1 6'provided with an adjusting hand wheel 17. 15 is a slide head guided in guide 14: and moved by the screw'16 transversely to the table 6.

The head 15 is provided with a long horizontal frame 18, one end extending over the clamp 29 and the other over the table (Figs. 1 and 3). The end of the frame 18 over the clamp 29 is provided with a vertical guide 20 through which extends a pointed rod 21 having a shoulder 23 to limit the upward movement. A spring 22, surrounding the rod 21 tends to normally hold it in an ele;

vated position. The other end of the frame 18 is likewise provided with a vertical guide 20 through which a perforating rod 24 extends and is normally held in elevated posi tion clear of the table 6 by spring 25.

When the table 6 and attachmentsare ad'- j usted vertically to suit the plaster cast, the operation is as follows: The frame or carriage 9 is adjusted until the pointer 21 is over the buccal groove of the upper first permanent molar, as may be indicated in the plaster cast 42 (Fig. 3), and then with a small mallet the perforating rod 24 is struck and a prick is made in the card which is placed upon the table 6 and held thereon in any suitable manner. By means of the rack, pinion and adjusting screw, the carriage is moved causing the pointer rod 21 to be labial side if so desired.

The record card so made of the plaster cast on the odontograph, is now brought Y into juxtaposition with'the record card as made by the symetroscope portion of the instrument, and by placing the pricks indicating the buccal grooves'of the upper first permanent molars as made by the odontograph directly over the prick holes indicating the buccal grooves of the first permanent molars as made by the symetroscope and pricking through from the odontograph card into the symetroscope card, I am enabled to bring the outline of the teeth, as indicated in the plaster cast, into relation with the median line as indicated by the symetroscope record card. In this manner, I am enabled, with the use of my instrument, to find the relation of the teeth in a live subj ect to the true median line running through the roof of the mouth; and having thus determined which teeth are out of proper position, the dentist may thereafter intelligently embodies the features of advantageenumerated, and while'I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character stated, a

main frame having a table and means for supporting a plaster cast, combined with a frame adj ustably supported in respect to the table whereby it may be moved both longitudinally and transversely thereto and having its ends respectively projecting over the table and over the support for the plaster cast, pointing means extending from the end of the frame which projects over the support for the plaster cast for insuring positions of adjustment corresponding to the configuration of the cast, and means carried by the end of the frame which extends over the table for marking a card thereon with marks corresponding to the positions of adjust ment of the pointing means with respect to the plaster cast.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, when further characterized by having the adjustable means for the adjustable frame formed of a rack and pinion adjustment in one direction and a screw adjustment in the other direction.

3. The invention specified in claim 1, when the adjustable means for the adjustable frame consists of a transverse guide frame longitudinally adjustable upon the table by a rack and pinion device, a guide head on the transverse guide frame carrying the adjustable frame, and a transverse feed screw journaled in the transverse frame for adjusting the guide head thereon.

4. The invention specified in claim 1, when further characterized by having the adjustable pointing device vertically adjustable upon the end of the adjustable frame and provided with means for normally holding it in an elevated position away from the plaster cast.

5. The invention specified in claim 1, when the marking device carried on the end of the adjustable frame consists of a vertically adjustable perforating rod provided with means for normally holding it at an elevation above the table.

6. The invention specified in claim 1, when the table is vertically adjustable relatively to the support for the plaster cast whereby the adjustable pointer device may be raised or lowered with the table to bring it into cooperative relation with plaster casts of different heights.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

PERCY NORMAN WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

HARRY A. ANDERSON, MYRTLE E. ANDERSON. 

